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Monday, August 11, 2008

Another vacation

You all know about the mood I've been in lately. It has been strange to tell you the truth. I have blamed all kinds of things. The dirty house, the heat, the lack of routine during the summer. I still think it is a combination of those things. I did have a birthday recently which I guess could have contributed to the blah feelings. But I really don't care about getting older. It doesn't bother me at all. So I am sticking to one of my original reasons...it's too hot to do anything!

Tomorrow we are going camping with friends. We are going to a new place in the mountains. I am looking forward to it, but I don't feel like preparing to go camping. The lists I have to make to make sure I don't forget anything are taunting me. The thought of the laundry I will have to do when I get back haunts me. Ahhh...but I do love to go camping. I just hope there is some sort of usable bathroom. Not for me...although I would enjoy using it. There is a certain 10 year old who will have major issues if there isn't a bathroom. It won't be pretty.

Today I have baked 3 different types of muffins to take on this camping trip. I have grocery shopped...twice. I have packed nonperishables. I have sorted clothes. I have checked my lists...crossed things off and added new things. And I still have a lot to do. Why is it so much work to go camping?

16 comments:

Unknown said...

It is a lot of work to prepare to go camping BUT it will be so worth it in the end....just think of all the memories...but don't listen to me I havent ben campin in 11 yrs due to the fact a raccoon invaded our camp and stole all our food...

Hope yu have a GREAT time

Lost In Splendor said...

Yeah there always seems to be a never ending to do list. Blah. I hope you have a wonderful time camping and that the heat comes down a little for you too!

penny said...

All summer I've felt like I have so much to do that I just don't want to do anything. I usually go to sleep between 4 and 6 am but last night I was so blah that I was asleep by 2 am.

I've always been a good packer, though I tend to wait til the last minute. But I always make a list, even when I was a kid packing for camp or a family vacation. Can you recruit the kids to help? Maybe make a game of it? (Do kids fall for that anymore?)

Maybe your camping trip will inspire you, or at least give you a change of scenery since it's new. Have fun!

Anonymous said...

Camping is one of those things that takes a lot of forethought. I found that if I used the same list every single time, that things went much easier. We also packed our clothes in sets. One for each day and one extra in case something unforeseen happened. Otherwise, it never failed that someone ended up having to wear the same pair of underwear and/or socks for the whole trip. LOL It got to a point where we (eveyone packed their own stuff) could pack up in an hour as long as the laundry was caught up. And that doesn't count the time needed to bake 3 batches of muffins either! Have fun and come back a new woman! Mamadallama

Brittany said...

Don't forget the bug spray!

Remember, just because you don't feel them, doesn't mean they aren't biting!

Andrea said...

I think this is why my husband can't completely convince me to go camping (that and the fact that our gear is in storage in the U.S.). It seems like a lot of planning and cleaning up afterward! It is a great experience for the kids though. We went several times as a kid, so I was on the non-working end. That was fun!

Have a fun time!

Me. Here. Right now. said...

Camping. Yeah. Not.

HeyJoe said...

All that work is one of the reasons we don't seem to go camping, much as we talk about it and would enjoy it once we actually get there.

Do you think your mood has anything to do w/your impending move back to the states? Pre-mourning for Turkey?

Anonymous said...

I used to love camping, but I've kind of lost my taste for becuse of the dampness involved. But I'll happily stay in the most rustic of cabins.

Anonymous said...

I hate camping. With.A.Passion.


peace
#2

Your Pal Pinki said...

Hubby got a couple days off and we had planned to go camping, instead we're relaxing at home and painting the pergola we started building in May. We will go to the lake for one day, however. I think it will be just what we need.
Have fun!!!

Jennifer S said...

Have fun camping! It's a lot more work when you're the adult...

I'm with your 10 year old on the bathroom, though. Unless it's worse than the great outdoors!

LiteralDan said...

You say this to me as I am sitting here at 3am frantically trying to prepare for my own week-long camping trip.

In case you were wondering, I'm in the phase where I try to prepare my blog for my absence. I want sleeeeeeep.

Natalie said...

georgie - i know! i had tons of fun...which i knew would happen. i just hated the whole idea of getting ready. man...those raccoons are sneaky! we put all our food in the cars when we went to bed to avoid those issues!

sparkliesunshine - thanks! it was beautiful. not too hot and even a little cold at night. all in all a great time!

penny - it was inspiring. on the way to the camping place i enjoyed the wind in my hair. i almost felt like it was blowing the cobwebs out of my head. now we'll just see how long it lasts!

and wow...you are a late-nighter!

mamadallama - i should make a master list. i think i will when i get back to the states for sure. and there i will have a place to keep camping stuff so it is easier to get to. since we live in an apartment here stuff is just shoved wherever there is a little extra room. that makes it much harder to pack up when we need it!

yep...that laundry is what gets me every time. thankfully since we were camping it didn't matter that we never changed our clothes really. we were stinky when we got home, but nobody saw us or smelled us other than the people at the gas station we stopped at on the way home. i'm sure they got over it pretty quickly.

brittany - bug spray...check. thanks! i was glad there weren't mosquitoes, but the thousands of grasshoppers i could have done without. at least they don't bite!

andrea - we went quite often when i was a kid as well. the difference here is that there are no water sports or fishing to take up the days. we always camped near lakes and rivers so we could fish, swim, and ski. here the only fishing is in the sea and i have never seen anyone swimming or boating in the lakes. i miss that!

hahn - i know. i read your dating requirements. hee hee.

heyjoe - it is fun. i think a master list is the key. that and having kids old enough to actually help pack up. yours are the perfect age!

quite possibly. i am excited about it, but all the stuff i have to do beforehand is a little overwhelming. and this is the longest i have ever lived in one house in my entire life. that is a little scary!

citizen of the world - yeah...i hate laying down on damp pillows and blankets. it was mostly dry on this trip, so that was nice!

#2 - hm...bad childhood experience?

pinki - i would have chosen relaxing at home over this camping trip beforehand, but now i am really glad we went. i just wish there had been a lake nearby. that would have been icing on the cake!

jennifer h - i know...much more work! and yep...we used the woods. it wasn't so bad...much cleaner than most of the bathroom in the rest stops here!

literaldan - a week-long camping trip? with your family? we went camping once when i was pregnant with ag and jacob was about a year and a half. he learned to say "pish" on that trip. he loved that "pishing pole"!

Jesse said...

We just got back from our yearly camping trip. Last year we decided that we'd do it every summer and not only bring along our kids (for as many years as they still would like to come since they are older and cooler now) but our niece and nephew who are now 3 and 7. We even brought our dog. We had a blast and actually over-packed quite a bit. Next year we are in agreement that we don't need nearly as many clothes, just clean underwear and one warm weather outfit and a cold weather outfit just in case.

I wish we could have gone for a week, maybe next year.

Have fun!

Natalie said...

jess - it was fun. i'm really glad we went. i also enjoyed that it was out in the middle of nowhere. i am used to camping at places that actually have designated spots which is what i expect to do when we get back to the states. this was a great adventure for all of us!